Halibut On Mashed Fava Beans With Mint Recipes

HALIBUT WITH FINGERLINGS, FAVA BEANS, MEYER LEMON, AND SAVORY CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Season the halibut with the lemon zest, thyme, and parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Remove the fish from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
• Place the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold water (by at least 4 inches), and add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Reserve a cup of the water and strain the potatoes. When the potatoes have cooled, slightly smash them with the heel of your hand.
• Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, smashed potatoes, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat the potatoes with the butter. Add the fava beans and a few tablespoons of the reserved potato water to the pan. Turn off the heat and cover while you cook the fish.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (You may need to cook the fish in batches or in two pans.) Swirl in the olive oil and wait 1 minute. Carefully lay the fish in the pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until it's lightly browned. Turn the fish over, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook a few more minutes until it's almost cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the fish. When it's done, it will begin to flake and separate a little and the center will still be slightly translucent. Remember, the halibut will continue to cook a bit more once you take it out of the pan.
• Turn the heat under the potatoes up to medium, uncover, and heat the potatoes and favas until hot through. Toss in the pea shoots and cook about 1 minute, stirring to combine until the pea shoots are just wilted. Taste for seasoning. Spoon the potatoes onto a large warm platter, dot half the crème fraîche over them, and spoon half the lemon salsa on top. Arrange the halibut over the potatoes and spoon the remaining crème fraîche and lemon salsa over each piece of fish.
• Using a mortar and pestle, pound the savory leaves to a paste. Add the crème fraîche and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and combine well. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper.
• Cut both ends off the Meyer lemons. Place the lemons cut side down on a cutting board. Following the contour of the fruit with your knife, remove the peel and white cottony pith, working from top to bottom and rotating the fruit as you go. Then, one at a time, hold each lemon in your hand and carefully slice between the membranes and the fruit to release the segments in between. Discard the seeds and reserve the juice. You should have about 1/4 cup of segments and 1/4 cup of juice.
• Place the lemon juice in a small bowl and add the shallots and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit 5 minutes and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the lemon segments, savory, mint, and parsley. Taste for balance and seasoning.
• You can make the Meyer lemon salsa and the savory crème fraîche earlier in the day. You could also boil and smash the potatoes ahead of time.

FENNEL-RUBBED HALIBUT WITH FAVA BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire (450°F) in a wood-fired grill.
• Combine the fennel seeds and olive oil to create a paste. Add the salt and pepper. Rub each fillet with the mixture and set aside at room temperature.
• To make the ragout, bring the white wine and stock to a low boil in a small nonreactive saucepan. Add the saffron threads, remove from the heat, and set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes, then add the leeks and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs. Add the saffron liquid and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the fava beans, and carrots and cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the favas and carrots are tender. Remove the thyme and add the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
• Oil the grill grids and add the halibut. Cover and cook on one side until the flesh is opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes. (With the lid closed, the delicate halibut does not need to be turned over and cooked on both sides.) Transfer to a warmed platter, grilled side up, surround with the ragout, and serve.
• Cleaning Leeks
• Leeks add an incredible depth of flavor to homemade soups, but they are like sand traps. Trim off the root ends, then make two perpendicular cuts down the entire length of the dark green leaves. Swish the leeks in a bowl of warm water (I find that cold water makes the sand cling), separating the dark green leaves to expose any sand. Then chop them and swish around in a fresh bowl of water. Lift out chopped leeks with your fingers, allowing any sediment to sink to the bottom of the bowl
• steaming fava beans
• Rather than the tedious three-step method of shelling, blanching, and peeling fava beans, try this time-saver from Paula Wolfert.
• Place unshelled fava beans in a steamer rack over boiling water; cover and cook until wilted, about 15 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool to the touch. Remove the pods, then remove the skin from each fava bean.
• If the beans will be cooked further, cut back a bit on the steaming time so the beans will be slightly undercooked when skinned.

HALIBUT WITH FAVA BEANS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat canola oil in a pan over medium heat and add prosciutto and shallots. Sweat until shallots are soft and translucent. Cover with stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in truffles. Set aside.
• Blanch the peas, sugar snaps, asparagus and fava beans separately in boiling water, until tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately plunge into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Set aside fava beans, 1 cup of sugar snaps and asparagus. Place peas and 1/2 cup of sugar snaps in a blender or food processor and puree. Force puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps or strings. Set aside in a small pot.
• In a heavy casserole large enough to accommodate 6 fillets, bring 1/4 inch of salted water to a simmer. Salt and pepper each fillet on both sides. Gently poach for 3 to 5 minutes, until the halibut is just cooked through. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer in thickest part of fish for 5 seconds. Skewer should be warm upon removal.
• Bring the chicken-stock-and- truffle mixture to a boil and carefully whisk in 4 tablespoons butter. Add remaining snap peas, fava beans and asparagus, along with oregano, and hold over low heat. Reheat pea puree and stir in remaining butter. Spoon some puree down center of plate in a line and top with a fillet, crosswise over puree. Squeeze lemon juice over halibut and a pinch of sea salt. Spoon over sauce. Repeat 5 times. Serve.

SEARED HALIBUT WITH WALLA WALLA SPRING ONIONS, FAVA BEANS AND SH

Steps:

• Heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in a heavy saute pan over high heat. Season both sides of the halibut fillets with salt and pepper.
• Once oil is hot, add seasoned halibut. Sear the fish until it's just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove to a platter and keep warm.
• Add remaining oil to the saute pan and, over medium-high heat, saute onions, garlic, fava beans and shiitake mushrooms until the onions are tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and whisk in butter, tarragon and lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, place rice in middle of each plate and place halibut fillet on top of rice. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the fava bean and shiitake mixture over the fillets, then drizzle with the pan sauce. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.
• Note: Find Walla Walla spring onions at farmers markets and specialty markets. You can substitute 4 to 6 scallions.
• Note: To blanch and peel fava beans, boil shelled beans for about 50 seconds. Remove beans from pot and immediately plunge into cold water. Drain beans and remove whitish skins, using your fingernail to open the spongy skins, and then pinch the beans free.